I know my last story was a complete and utter failure, but here's something new. A short mini story written down as a log of a companion's stay in an inn. It follows the adventures of Sclithii Markus, told by a local bard of Praven about a hero who tried to restore the Calrad Empire. Enjoy. I made the narrator have a rough Rhodokian Highland (Scottish) accent, so I've got apostrophes in quite a few words. If this makes it illegible, just ask me to undo it, I'll give him a nice Swadian (English) accent.
No spoilers, since it's a one log story.
Day 7
A bard's eye gleams as a man tosses him a coin. "Tell me a story" the man says as the bard readies his lute and sits down. The man then turns to the innkeeper and says "Also, get me some beer. Me throat's dry as a bone." The innkeeper got behind the counter as the bard plucks his strings to make sure they're in good condition, and starts playing.
"There once was a man named Sclithii Markus, hero of all. Ah, but ye hasn't heard of him, has ye?" the bard says in a rough Rhodokian Highland accent
"Stop talking in yer bloody accent and be legible!" the man replied.
The bard coughed a couple times, then continued in a more understandable accent. "Sclithii Markus was descended from a noble of the Calrad Empire. He had a good claim to Aldeburgh, as his noble ancestor was mayor of Uxkhal in the few days it was reoccupied by Swadia, and if you've got a claim to Uxkhal, you've got a claim to Aldeburghe. But ye see, he didn't last long. A rival family, the Brussai, sent their head, Jaikus Brussai to assassinate his ancestor. 'Ey offered him a hug of good will, den 'ey pulled a knife, right out of 'er sleeve, and stabbed him several times in e's bloody back!" A woman nearby cradling her baby while watching her husband spiral into drunkenness gasped. "Heheh" the bard says, seeing her response to this man's end.
"Dis little murder set off a renewed hatred between the Markusi and the Brussai. Sclithii Markus's fadder, Prithii Markus, ended this in the decisive Battle of Grunwalder Castle where he killed the last of the Brussai and threw 'is head down from the walls! Prithii wouldn't last long, oh no he wouldn't. Vaegir mercenaries shot him straight in his chest while 'e was reveling in 'is glory." The same woman who was cradling her baby let out another gasped shock. "Schlithii Markus was alone in de world now. E'd not be too bad in it! 'E was a very good hunter, oh yes very good, and his meats sold for a princely sum on de markets. 'E also got a bloody good amount of coins from the Uxkhal ruins, oh yes he did, and he was not too bad off. Got a nice blacksmith job at the local guild in Aldeburgh, practiced 'is smithing every day. Life was good for 'im. Oontill the lord of Aldeburgh slashed his arm almost clean off!" A gasp came from the narrator's entire audience. "Got dumped in the river, he did, and floated down until fishermen plucked 'im out of the water. Healed for a few days in Nemeja. When he could shoot a bow without also shooting 'is arm off, 'e went off to hunt in the border of the Nordic Union, Kingdom of Swadia, and Vaegir Tsardom."
The bard paused for a while when beers were handed out, wetting his dry throat. During the break, everyone contemplated the story, and wondered what would possibly happen next. When the bard finished, slamming his mug down on the table, almost splitting it in two, he continued. "Sclithii Markus thought 'e was alone in the world. Good ol' Plith's death surely made him last of the Markusi, right? Well, wrong, *hic* my audience! Sclithii 'ad a sister. She was Lady Constantis' mudder, Lady Adrinatine. When Sclithii Markus, he was happy as a Harlaus the Fat in front of a roast boar. He got a host of 12 men, raised them to be the greatest knights in all of Calradia, and set out West. In Ryibelet 'Astle, he met her. And she was a lovely lady, oh yes she was. Nice to all, gave food to all the peasants. When Sclithii Markus and Lady Andrinatine met in the town square, all was well and they hugged for a nice and long time. But then," the bard gives a glaring look at the audience "descendants of the noble servants of the Brussai, the Cructii, came in the town square and ambushed 'em! Arrows flew like birds in migration season, and in the end, Sclithii Markus sat in the town square, his dying sister in his hands. Her last words were 'Please... Take Aldeburgh... And... Prav..." and then she was no more. Constantis sat there, and screamed a scream like no other. Sclithii Markus could not fail at his 'isters last requests. 'E was gonna capture Praven and Aldeburgh!"
"For de next years, Sclithii Markus's host grew in number, until exactly fifty-and-two-hundred knights sat at his side, and one-hundred crossbowmen were in front of 'em. 'E attacked Aldeburgh in the year of 1408, and the siege lasted a full twenty days. The blood spilled was much, and den, Aldeburgh was Sclithii Markus's. The Markusi Republic was born! The vassals of the Swadians flocked to 'im. Them Swadians love them Calradian descendants. 'Soon enough, only King Cedrus on 'is throne in Praven remained. A grand army of five hundred attacked Praven. 'Dey had a secret weapon, though! Cannons! All along de walls, cannons. The firs day of de siege, a hundred died. A day ladur, Sclithii Markus and 'his four hundred attacked Praven. A cannon was at the gate, and the second a battering ram broke through it a cannon blew 'em all away! Dat wouldn't stop 'em, dough. The knights broke through de gates, and Praven was gone in a few hours. King Cedrus attended the coronation ceremony the next day, the ceremony of Sclithii Markus being proclaimed the Calradian emperor! All in the audience hugged him, including Cedrus. But den, a Cructii was der! And just like 'is ancestor, Mayor of Uxkhal, dey hugged him, pulled a knife out of der sleeve, and split 'is back right open! The emperor was dead, and so the 34 day reign, the title of Sclithii Markus's rule from the capture of Aldeburgh to his death at Praven, ended. Keep this a secret. King Cedrus doesn't like no one to know that his reign ended for a day and the Calradian Empire existed for a few hours."
No spoilers, since it's a one log story.
Day 7
A bard's eye gleams as a man tosses him a coin. "Tell me a story" the man says as the bard readies his lute and sits down. The man then turns to the innkeeper and says "Also, get me some beer. Me throat's dry as a bone." The innkeeper got behind the counter as the bard plucks his strings to make sure they're in good condition, and starts playing.
"There once was a man named Sclithii Markus, hero of all. Ah, but ye hasn't heard of him, has ye?" the bard says in a rough Rhodokian Highland accent
"Stop talking in yer bloody accent and be legible!" the man replied.
The bard coughed a couple times, then continued in a more understandable accent. "Sclithii Markus was descended from a noble of the Calrad Empire. He had a good claim to Aldeburgh, as his noble ancestor was mayor of Uxkhal in the few days it was reoccupied by Swadia, and if you've got a claim to Uxkhal, you've got a claim to Aldeburghe. But ye see, he didn't last long. A rival family, the Brussai, sent their head, Jaikus Brussai to assassinate his ancestor. 'Ey offered him a hug of good will, den 'ey pulled a knife, right out of 'er sleeve, and stabbed him several times in e's bloody back!" A woman nearby cradling her baby while watching her husband spiral into drunkenness gasped. "Heheh" the bard says, seeing her response to this man's end.
"Dis little murder set off a renewed hatred between the Markusi and the Brussai. Sclithii Markus's fadder, Prithii Markus, ended this in the decisive Battle of Grunwalder Castle where he killed the last of the Brussai and threw 'is head down from the walls! Prithii wouldn't last long, oh no he wouldn't. Vaegir mercenaries shot him straight in his chest while 'e was reveling in 'is glory." The same woman who was cradling her baby let out another gasped shock. "Schlithii Markus was alone in de world now. E'd not be too bad in it! 'E was a very good hunter, oh yes very good, and his meats sold for a princely sum on de markets. 'E also got a bloody good amount of coins from the Uxkhal ruins, oh yes he did, and he was not too bad off. Got a nice blacksmith job at the local guild in Aldeburgh, practiced 'is smithing every day. Life was good for 'im. Oontill the lord of Aldeburgh slashed his arm almost clean off!" A gasp came from the narrator's entire audience. "Got dumped in the river, he did, and floated down until fishermen plucked 'im out of the water. Healed for a few days in Nemeja. When he could shoot a bow without also shooting 'is arm off, 'e went off to hunt in the border of the Nordic Union, Kingdom of Swadia, and Vaegir Tsardom."
The bard paused for a while when beers were handed out, wetting his dry throat. During the break, everyone contemplated the story, and wondered what would possibly happen next. When the bard finished, slamming his mug down on the table, almost splitting it in two, he continued. "Sclithii Markus thought 'e was alone in the world. Good ol' Plith's death surely made him last of the Markusi, right? Well, wrong, *hic* my audience! Sclithii 'ad a sister. She was Lady Constantis' mudder, Lady Adrinatine. When Sclithii Markus, he was happy as a Harlaus the Fat in front of a roast boar. He got a host of 12 men, raised them to be the greatest knights in all of Calradia, and set out West. In Ryibelet 'Astle, he met her. And she was a lovely lady, oh yes she was. Nice to all, gave food to all the peasants. When Sclithii Markus and Lady Andrinatine met in the town square, all was well and they hugged for a nice and long time. But then," the bard gives a glaring look at the audience "descendants of the noble servants of the Brussai, the Cructii, came in the town square and ambushed 'em! Arrows flew like birds in migration season, and in the end, Sclithii Markus sat in the town square, his dying sister in his hands. Her last words were 'Please... Take Aldeburgh... And... Prav..." and then she was no more. Constantis sat there, and screamed a scream like no other. Sclithii Markus could not fail at his 'isters last requests. 'E was gonna capture Praven and Aldeburgh!"
"For de next years, Sclithii Markus's host grew in number, until exactly fifty-and-two-hundred knights sat at his side, and one-hundred crossbowmen were in front of 'em. 'E attacked Aldeburgh in the year of 1408, and the siege lasted a full twenty days. The blood spilled was much, and den, Aldeburgh was Sclithii Markus's. The Markusi Republic was born! The vassals of the Swadians flocked to 'im. Them Swadians love them Calradian descendants. 'Soon enough, only King Cedrus on 'is throne in Praven remained. A grand army of five hundred attacked Praven. 'Dey had a secret weapon, though! Cannons! All along de walls, cannons. The firs day of de siege, a hundred died. A day ladur, Sclithii Markus and 'his four hundred attacked Praven. A cannon was at the gate, and the second a battering ram broke through it a cannon blew 'em all away! Dat wouldn't stop 'em, dough. The knights broke through de gates, and Praven was gone in a few hours. King Cedrus attended the coronation ceremony the next day, the ceremony of Sclithii Markus being proclaimed the Calradian emperor! All in the audience hugged him, including Cedrus. But den, a Cructii was der! And just like 'is ancestor, Mayor of Uxkhal, dey hugged him, pulled a knife out of der sleeve, and split 'is back right open! The emperor was dead, and so the 34 day reign, the title of Sclithii Markus's rule from the capture of Aldeburgh to his death at Praven, ended. Keep this a secret. King Cedrus doesn't like no one to know that his reign ended for a day and the Calradian Empire existed for a few hours."
